New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-26
IRVING And COQUELN.

sbe taste for one artist to publish adverse criclsn
| OF another. ~ Coquelin's paper on Acting ana
| Actors, published I'm the May numberor "Harpefs
| Magazine" while 1t contained Instructive ana sus
gcstive observation presented an example ol .iii'
| blemish-for it referred. by name, TO MI henry
Irving and il disparaged his method OF acCiils'
Mr. irving. who has endured, from legitimate
sources more adverse criticism than any ooher
actor now living, and that without injury to either
his rcnutaton or temper has naturally viewed with
disanpmyal these structures upon his person ana
his art put forth by another actor, and thereunoh
he has answered NJ Coqueln with an article IN
the June number OF "rhe Nineteenth Century Inc
two PAPERS taken together, certainly suggest IL
they do not entirely constitute and express com
prehensive and lucid summary OF the philosophy OF
the dramatic art
| CRITICISM saws Nj Irving, ais generally SUM-
cient in tho hands Of the professors OF the art
but when an actor takes UP its functions Tor the
enlirhteunent OF other actors, and with tho Tree
dom OF NJ Coquelin invites comparisons ana sug-
pests parallels, he no little risk OF q grave
misapprehension of his purpose. III every arlsI
| were TO rush into print with his opinions OF MS
compeers there would be disasreeable rise I'D ohe
social tcmpefatIre7 In these moderate but pun
GENT words Mr.. Irving signifies his sense OF uhe
| French comedians ungracious personal reference
He is entirely in the right and. Furthermore IL
will be found In a studous Terusa oil both THESE
| paperS that while several points The TWO sctors
orc accorlant at every point where there Ia dverE
enco of opinion, Mr.. Irving has largely the al
vantage.
The diveryences OF opinion relate mainly 10 the
essence OF natural acting and oil poetlcal tracey.
What constitutes natural acting and what share
shall DO permitted To what we call tho Ideal III
dramatic art ? ~ Coquelin rs those Observers
who have seen and studied his actlng al inc
Theatre Francois might naturally expect hV'aheS
great importanco 10 variety of Physical investiture
and 10 PHOTOGRAPHIC fidelity OF detail Ills essay
os Mr. Irving has MT omitted to remark
contains comfortin. proportion OF truisns' ana
frequently upsets in one paragraph The
nropnsition OF another Always merge your own
Individuality Is the doctrine with which he besins
and never set aside your own individually" Is
the doctrine with which he ends. But so far as
he has succeeded In making his meaning obvious
In rather dinuse and tangled piece or writlhS-he
would have the actor invent new separate anu
distinct physical nvestture for ca character tfaO
ne assumes. Tho actors identity must wholly
disappear. Tie actors feelings must never Do
real The actOr's inner consciousness and Intel
lcctual purpose must watch over ana direct anu
control the actors exterior machinery. Tho acor
must always keep inside OF the character Inc
actor who has the command OF many parts 10
superior TO the actor who can command put ono
TRAINED Twice two IL four But we are oil
aware who have observed the stage for any con-
siderable len th OF time that there never Yet was
An actor and certainly VI. Coquelin is no exception
In the rulel who could divest his work OF the
dosynornsy or stamp OF his own nature thlo IL
make. no difference whether the actors feelings
are real or unreal 50 long rs he holds them IN
terfect control and produces the effect oil arouScu
emotion in others and that, as mauer OF iaco
md experience. every actor no mauer no" much
clsverness lie may show In getting eredltapIy
through n great number Of parts, eventually nhus
his range limited TO three or four characters ana
those i'm the line OF his own nOblest ana hlghcet
essential attributes. Just as Mur1llo or Rem
brandt. painting many subjects nevertheless leaves
uron each and every work personal impress ana
character-which is the touch OF the master ana
for which the work is valued-so VIII Kean, q
kemble, Coquclin. an Irving. a Booth Jeffer-
son or salyini playing different parts, invest each
orc with the magic and the charm Of invariable
personality. As to the rest you have only TO
consut YOUR reoo ections Of such tors AZ Forrest
uamblin. Burton, Walacl< and Blake. They
olaved many parts but how lew arc the parts In
which they are really remembered because really
ereatl No human being can escape from himself
Al. Coqucin think, that Mr.. Ir, Ing is an actor
who neyer clothes himself with the semDance oil
character but always clothes the character with his
own semblance. In this his misrepresentation OF
lin. ENGLISH actor runs TO tho verge oil injustice
lY,is Is personal point Tho more important
because radical defect Of NJ Coquelns reasoning
is its prosaio blindness to the ideal Fortunately
he tx a much better actor than he seems 10 De IN
his writings. "IIe completely misses says Mr.
a Iy his tip
is 81 the earth earthly" This comment is perfectly
justified But of course 1t ought to be remembered
thai Of what English and American people mean by
"poetryp the French have not the slightest CLEAN
of apprehension. Shakespeare to "A Frenchman
s,m,lv does not exist. There once French
critic who much admired what he called Shakes
peares accuracy OF description In Macbeth OF
the climate of Scotland-as being "Ilail, Hail All
Hail !" That IL not at all bad type OF tho way
In which the French apprehend our "Divine Will
Jams
Mr. uying's illusions TO this part Of the subject
arc framed in u few specially pertinent sentences,
with which most readers will instantly concuri
Edmund Kean sometimes passed from one part to
another with little more external variation than
WAS suggested by corlxed moustaohe but the
poetry. the Intensity, Tho fiery passion OF tho man
made his actingthe most real and vivid impasona-
ton that his contemporaries had seen. This
electric quality is the rarest and the highest gift the
actor can possess. Eloquence Is oil the NOV
inc when il Is animated and directed BY a fine and
subtle sympathy which affects tho speaker though
1t does not master him 1t Is futile to deny to the
actor such impulses as touch the heart by the
sudden appeal of passion OF pathos. Kean was not
an actor who left anything to hazard, and yet no
had inspired moments. .. My compliant Of NJ.
Coquelin Is that he seems to allow to idealism
only very small place in his philosophy. -. Tho
individual force Of the actor must find its special
channel. However imporant realistic portrsture
may be In tho comic drama-and there are note